If by aggressive you mean short, easy completions to our receivers and not running into a stacked box then I agree. Though as somebody said yesterday getting a good punt off is much more valuable against Sparty than it is other teams. We definitely shouldn't always run into stacked boxes and should try stuff that works but we have to minimize turnovers to win especially in this game. More constraints in this strategy obviously but there has got to be some optimum balance and that is Al Borges's challenge.

You're right and at worst you may get a pass interference or at least present that opportunity. I definitely think Funchess and Gallon (maybe Dileo) are going to put some pressure on the Sparty secondary.

Funchess is the key. Their corners are fast, but he's just a lot bigger than them. If Devin is accurate with his passing, MSU is going to have its hands full covering him. If they double him, then that opens up Gallon.

Yeah, the tough thing is that going over the top cant really be a game strategy. That's a counter play. We need base plays, and staee does a great job of taking those away. Their defensive approach is so effective because their "weakness" is a low-percentage play that usually doesn't work.

This is why I wish we were more aggressive on defense. More blitzing and press coverage. In college, just put heat on the QB/WRs and force them to make a quick decision/accurate play. More times than not, with a guy flying at their face, they won't execute. We're not dealing with Tom Brady or Drew Brees. At the college level, if you have athletes, blitz often and press.

An analogy from my work softball team that I manage: if there is even a remote chance of stretching out an extra base on the base paths, go for it. Odds are that the defense won't execute an accurate and well-timed throw when you pressure them. (We're not very good, so we need every advantage).

For next week, I don't know what it means, but state once again has a killer defense that blitzes 75% of plays and jams receivers at the line. We'll have great trouble morning the ball. Need the over-the-top stuff but also draws, screens (lol), and quick drops to Funchess and Gallon.

Yeah, the tough thing is that going over the top cant really be a game strategy. That's a counter play.

Disagree. It's only a counter move when teams, who had been playing straight up, start cheating up towards the LOS. In MSU's case, they cheat up from the first snap so that part is already taken care of. You can go max-pro and air it out from the get-go. That's what USC did to us for the entire second half of the Rose Bowl in 2007.

They don't give up much in the way of completions unless you can get penalties called on their incredibly aggressive corners. I've yet to be impressed by Dennard, but if he is allowed to grab jersey all day then he'll be a handful defensively.

This will be a slog of a game, but UM has shown an ability to move the ball against competent defenses at least some of the time while MSU has shown far more inconsistencies. If they can limit the turnovers I don't see why UM can't play a low-scoring game and win.

I'd agree to an extent, but these are also conference referees who will undoubtedly be hammered about the non-calls. They are going to be aware of it, and UM is the type of program that will get the benefit of the doubt versus, I don't know, Purdue.

This is why Funchess is key. Dennard is listed at 5'11", 197. Funchess is 6'5", 235 and has crazy leaping ability. He's a load for any CB to cover, and the grabbing is a lot more obvious when it's against him. We need to target him early and often unless he's being bracketed - in which case Gallon should be in single coverage.

I agree, thoughI think Gallon is a pretty big handful as well. The problem MSU will have is trying to cover both guys. If they roll their coverage to Funchess, should hopefully open up some running lanes.

Vegas only cares about getting action on both sides of a bet. They aren't saying that MSU is 5 points better than UM, only that they need to give up some points for people to bet on MSU. This is a toss-up and Vegas is putting it in the zone because I don't think they have any idea how it will go but UM gets more action because of their name recognition.

I'm afraid of a beatdown like MSU gave the basketball team at Breslin last season. No one except Trey seemed ready to play that game, and MSU was hungry and had something to prove. Coming off a bye week, with MSU coming off a 40 point offensive performance and just breaking into the rankings, I'm afraid they'll come to play and UM won't. I really truly hope that Lewan and Gallon and all the other seniors and leaders have the team pumped up and ready to go. The coaches can't do it all. I'm excited but nervous!!

I'm afraid of a beatdown like MSU gave the basketball team at Breslin last season. No one except Trey seemed ready to play that game, and MSU was hungry and had something to prove

That game came on the tail end of an absolutely brutal stretch of games (something like 5 in 13 days, all against good teams) when we were probably exhausted. Here we'll have had two weeks off before this game.

They are 7-1. Their seven wins came from only 2 teams that have a winning record (Iowa 5-3 and I-AA Youngstown State at 7-1). You back out of youngstown state the records of their opponents are 15-30. Not to mention I don't think they have faced a dual threat qb this year. And if they have, they haven't faced one like Gardner.

I don't know if we're going to win. It's going to be a good game. I just don't want to see the coaches stick with a stupid game plan if it's evident that it isn't working.

and see that in the matchup of MSU's D and Michigan's O everything hinges on 12 guys on one side (MSU's) and one guy (Gardner) on Michigan's, I bet for MSU at home.

Michigan is my team, and I know we can win this game. But while I'm a lot more confident that Borges calls an inspired game than most people, I think a whole lot hinges on how we weather the early ugliness from MSU. If we are intimidated we will lose, and could lose handily. If we play them tough early and our confidence grows. . .

Hell, we need an inspired game from Mattison, too, a pick or some sacks to let Cook know we're not Illinois early. I want Dantonio fretting about whether to send in one of his other bad QBs by the third quarter.

The obvious: We won't be able to run the ball. Their coverage will lapse, but their pass rush won't. DG makes good decsions moving in the pocket, uses his feet when necessary, and the D is good enough to keep a horrible offence from scoring many points.

Yes, we must have a strategy of passing coupled with Gardner scrambling and forget any thought of a run game. It's risky for Gardner, especially with State's well-documented "aggression," but if he plays it safe (slides, runs out of bounds, doesn't force passes, and so on) it should be very effective.

If we see entire drives played out of the I-formation, I give up. I would love to see 95% shotgun.

Our defense is designed to play against an offense like they use. We win by at least ten. They've only beaten one team with a winning record and their offense is invisible against any defense with a pulse. 28-10 Michigan.

Unless I'm mistaken, the line 'opened'yesterday so the comments along the lines of 'well yeah, they just won by 5 touchdowns are missing the point. The line moving means that the betting was on msu to cover.

I can't disagree to be honest, until M win a road game against a decent team the assumption is that they will crumble. Hoke's best road win is what? At NW in 2011?

Not at all bothered by being an underdog in this one. I think I would take Michigan and that line myself actually. If it is of any interest, Massey Ratings currently (this might update in the morning as per normal for the site) gives us a 23% win probability with a median score of 28-20. TeamRankings' algorithm is a little more generous to Michigan, placing the win probability at just short of 40%.

I'll believe in hoke/Borges on the road v. An even halfway decent team when I see it. I expect to see a lot of bitching about game plan and playcalling after this one, since that seems to be the case after every road game.

If Gardner doesn't turn the ball over, we've got a legitimate shot. But I don't know how that doesn't happen. MSU's D will be blitzing the hell out of Gardner all day. And at the end of the day, I simply do not trust this coaching staff on the road against anyone. They've given me no reason to do so.

I know how averse Borges is to quick passes in the flat, but what I would like to see VS MSU is an attempt:

Throw a WR screen out of the stack. Put Funch at the point of attack, he ought to be able to block the CB who is pressing. By virtue of the stack, the other two WRs should get a clean break.

I think back to 2001 when MSU has Plaxico and he went beast mode against us. Carr tried everything including placing David Terrell on Plax (he got tossed like a rag doll). I want Funch to be our Plax. He should win physical battles at the line.

Somewhat surprised that the betting line hasn't been higher for Michigan State. They’re 7-1, have the best defense in the country, are playing at home against what they consider their biggest rival, and are coming off a pretty good offensive performance, after having been criticized for having a very weak offensive unit. (Although, in fairness, that offensive performance came against the 103rd ranked FBS defensive unit, and the Spartans’ offense still is only the 87th ranked FBS offense.)

They’re also playing against a team that’s 6-1, but is three or four plays away from being 3-4 (with losses against 2-7 Akron and 0-7 Connecticut), and that’s coming off a bye week after having had two terrible performances by a defensive unit that was supposed to be the team’s strong link. Their head coach’s one-word description of his team is “inconsistent” and his Michigan teams have been more road “worriers” than “warriors” (Sugar Bowl 2012 excepted) during his tenure.

Michigan State’s top-rated defense will be playing against a mistake-prone quarterback and a constantly shuffling offensive line; and it's offense will be facing a secondary that’s ranked 97th in FBS for passing yards allowed. Also, despite having scored 40 or more points in five of its games, Michigan’s only the 45th ranked FBS offense.

I’d call this the “Hot Seat Bowl” for Michigan’s coaching staff and quarterback. A loss (especially in a blowout) not only will realistically end Michigan's hopes of playing for a Big Ten Championship this season, but also will heighten skepticism about both the coaches’ ability to “coach up” what has been a disappointing Team 134 and the quarterback’s ability to live up to the high expectations that were predicted for him when he was drawing raves last summer at the Manning Passing Academy. A close win will be appreciated, but still might come with questions about the quality of Team 134.

"Hot Seat" probably was a bad choice of words, but maybe the "Less Cool Seat" would apply. Of course, Brady Hoke isn't going to be fired anytime soon, and I regret having said something that would imply that outcome.

But remember, Brady Hoke's mantra for Michigan's football success has been "Winning the Big Ten Championship." He's the one who set the bar that high. A loss to Michigan State next Saturday probably makes it unlikely that Michigan will be playing in the Big Ten Championship Game this season, and if that happens, after three seasons as Michigan's head football coach, Brady Hoke will have won as many Big Ten championships as his predecessor.

While I appreciate Brady Hoke's desire to measure success by Big Ten Championships, I'm concerned that his measuring device places undue pressure on a lot of young men who might have to consider themselves ether failures or something less than successes, if that goal isn't achieved.

I don't subscribe to the notion that "every kid deserves a trophy" just for competing. It makes sense to encourage the goal of winning a championship. As often as I've watched my children suffer humiliating losses in athletic competitions, I've also seen them play for championship teams; but I never considered them to be less than successful, just because their team didn't win a championship. And if Brady Hoke doesn't lead Team 134 to a Big Ten Championship this season, I wouldn't think of him or his players as being less than successful.

Don't want to speak for anybody but I would say Funk and Borges are on fairly hot seats. Agree that Hoke is definitely not there but we are at Year 3 and I think it is reasonable to expect a Big Ten championship in the next three seasons and/or a win in a good to great bowl game. This is Michigan fergodsakes; expectations are high.

made mention when he was hiring Hoke that he paid particular attention to "Red Letter Games". Hoke is 4-3. And 0-3 on the road against OSU, MSU, and ND. Last year's ND game was a winnable game. We were in it against OSU, and we'll be in it in this game. IBut if we get shut out again on the road after this year against those teams, it's going to get the boss's attention.

The team and the coaches have a lot to prove in this game. No one seems to think this team is good enough to beat MSU. No one seems to think Hoke & co. can prepare well enough to win on the road (rightfully so). Im curious to see how this goes but my gut tells me that we will win this game. Lets hope my gut isn't just being a homer..

good post. Agree about getting up early. Confidence will be everything in this game, for both sides. You have to expect that their D keeps them in it, but it's not hard to see this one being a two-score win for either side.

If Iowa and NW could take Ohio down to the wire, we can, too. It will take a great teamwide effort, but it can be done. Let's not forget that they might have a loss if not that for that iffy 4th down spot in Evanston.

The line is reasonable. I'm concerned about our suspect interior line and a quarterback who has been turnover prone going up against that defense. And don't underestimate how hostile that environment will be.

My guess is Sparty scores maybe once off a turnover. The game is pretty close until a clinching score late. Sparty, maybe 27-17.

Overlooked are long term trends. What has remained the same. MSU's defense has been excelent in all of their games. Because of their conisistancy it is reasonable to presume that they will play well. The offense though less consistant has made improvments. The running has improved from impossibly bad to decent. The QB has been inconsistant but is certainly playing better.

UM on the other hand has not been able to run at anyone. Even IU was able to keep the power runs under wraps. I believe it is reasonable to predict that any power running against even 7 man boxes perhaps even 6 will fair terribly. The defense has been bend but don't break, but has allowed numerous big plays and has been unable to generate a pass rush with a generic rush.

The home team gets some points because there will be critical plays where the offense will need to check out of a play and communication will be difficult. Also the other team will be amped up and energized. I think if we had any kind of running game, we would have a chance. I do not believe we have to outrush MSU, but it has to be something. My concern is even if Gallon & Funches are matchup problems, the fact that we are one dimensional allows MSU to blitz like crazy. I believe Gardner will have to play the game of his life similar to what happened against ND. Except now he has to do it on the road.

UM can beat MSU. But UM is more worried about Sparty's D-line than vice versa. Both sides can turn it over, but UM is far more predictable in that department unfortumately. I see this game as a referendum on Hoke as a credible head coach. If he loses this then I think many will lose faith in him.

I would expect them to get better through the year. Alabama lost 3 of their OL and put brand new guys in and struggled in the first game against VT. Now that line is working well even when they had to replace the current starting center with a backup for three games due to an injury. Come LSU, Auburn, SEC championship that line will look completely different than the one that played VT.

That should be the expectation. Barring tons of injuries the team should e getting better and better.